MA - Gill area notes to 04/09/13

Finally, a spell of warm southerlies and the first genuinely spring-like days of the year. Birds reacted accordingly with a great deal of bird song around Gill including migrant Fox Sparrows at North Cross Road, Giving Tree School on Wood Ave, South Cross Road and in our yard. Our neighbor's property off Mountain Road has had at least three singing Winter Wrens with another bird audible at the southern end of South Cross Road.  The haunting song of Hermit Thrush was heard on Derby Hill on the morning of the 8th when there was also a male Ruffed Grouse present. Two Wood Ducks were also present on a small pond off Mountain Road on the 8th, even though the pond was still mostly frozen over. In our and around our yard, American Woodcocks continue, mostly displaying at dusk.

 American Tree Sparrow - North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 7th, 2013.

Having accidently erased a bunch of nigrideus American Robin images from April 4th, I tracked down a nice feeding flock of about 300 robins on North Cross Road on April 7th. Among them at least one good nigrideus, but unfortunately out of reach for the camera. Also quite a good number of birds apparently showing intermediate characteristics between nigrideu and migratorious, perhaps 5-8 in total. In the same spot, an American Tree Sparrow was in a nearby hedgerow, the first I've seen locally for a while.







American Robin - darkish male, showing some dark feathering on the nape and upper mantle, perhaps intermediate between nigrideus and migratorious. 
North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 7th, 2013.



Today, April 9th, provided the warmest day of the year so far. Our yard seemed to be super busy throughout the day, including both kinglets - 3+ Golden-crowned and our first Ruby-crowned of the spring. House Finches continue to feature with an active nest above our mud room window, and at least three males visiting the feeders. The nesting House Finches have utilized an old phoebe nest from last year, whilst the current pair of Eastern Phoebes have already built a new nest having only been present in the yard for about five days. We also had a 'first-of-year' Chipping Sparrow, along with two other singing birds along South Cross Road in Gill. Good numbers of migrant American Robins have also been present around the yard in the last two days along with Eastern Bluebirds, White-throated Sparrows and plenty of Dark-eyed Juncos.

Dark-eyed Junco - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. April 8th, 2013.

House Finch - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. April 8th, 2013.

Female incubating eggs with the first eggs laid in the last few day of March.

Northern Flicker and American Robin - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. April 9th, 2013

'Lead-backed' form of Red-backed Salamander - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 7th, 2013.

Found and held by Matan Lerman-Smith aged 5. Thanks to comments on the identification from Josh Rose, Noah Charney and Bob Brooks we can now correct our identification of Matan's Salamander. Initially we thought this may have been a Jefferson Salamander.

 



Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. April 9th, 2013.

First of the year, along with three Golden-crowned Kinglets.